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A. E. BOARDMAN.

AUT OMATIC SPRINKLER. APPLICATION FILED- MAY 28. 1917.

1 ,3 1 2, 5 1 5 Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

WITNESSES l/VVE/VTOR I 5' I J 1%:0 fiaa/dwa/z BY W MTTORNEY THE COLUMBIAPmmmmvn n WASHINGTON, u. c

Iran STATS PATENT FFICE.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Application filed May 28, 1917. Serial No. 171,379.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED E. BOARDMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sprinklers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic sprinklers and, moreparticularly, to the nozzle valve and to devices for releasablyretaining the same on its seat.

The invention has for its main object to simplify and perfect theconstruction and operation of devices of this character to render themmore reliable and quick in action.

Another object is to provide two-part valve holding struts which willeffectually withstand bending or other strains to which they aresubjected and bereadily separable when the fusible connections thereofbecome fused.

Another object is to provide means to prevent the accidental dislodgmentof the struts.

Another object is the provision of a structure constituted of the valveand the retaining struts therefor subjected to strains which, uponbecoming unbalanced through the agency of heat, serve to disrupt suchstructure and positively dislodge the valve from its seat.

An additional object is to provide a novel form of valve which willaccommodate itself to various lengths of struts.

With these ends in view, and others, as will appear in the followingdescription, the invention consists in the various novel features ofconstruction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter describedand claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of theinvention Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved automaticsprinkler. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 3is a front elevation, partly in transverse section, to illustrate thecooperative action of the parts when released and falling apart. Figs. 4and 5 are perspective views of complementary strut members showndetached.

The sprinkler may, as regards the nozzle 6, the boss 7, frame arms 8 anddistributor 9, be of any usual or suitable construction, it

being preferable, however, to position the distributer within the frame.The boss 7 is internally screw --threaded to engage the thrust screw 10which, in the present inven tion, is provided at its end with an axiallydisposed protruding stud 11.

12 represents a disk of suitable non-corrosible material interposedbetween the nozzle orifice and a valve 13 which is substantially of theform of a segment of a hollow sphere, said valve being employed with itsconcave side contacting with the periphery of said disk.

The valve is held in place by means of two struts arranged in the formof an inverted letter V, with their lower ends engaging against stops14: afforded by grooves provided in the valve at a greater distanceapart than the external diameter of the nozzle while the upper ends ofthe struts bear against each other and the thrust screw 10 at oppositesides of the stud 11; to accommodate the latter the struts are providedwith notches 5.

As illustrated, each of said struts comprises two members 15 and 16 ofwhich the former is straight, or nearly so, and is provided near one endwith an aperture 15 The other member, 16, is formed with a straightportion intermediate a hooked upper extremity 16 and a rectangularlydirected element 16 which terminates in a pointed extremity 16 in offsetrelation to the straight central portion of the respective member. Theelement 16 afiords a shoulder upon which the lower end of the member 15is positively supported when in operative position.

The hooked extremity 16 of member 16 is arranged to extend through theaforesaid aperture 15 to receive a globule 17 of solder or othersuitable fusible substance between the hook and the opposing surface, asat 15 of the member 15. By thus coupling the complementary members of astrut, the sol der is subjected to compressive and not tensional strainsand is directly exposed from both sides to the action of heat.

In practice, the struts are arranged to occupy the positions in whichthey are represented in Figs. 1 and 2; that is to say, with the upperends of the struts bearing against each other and also against thethrust screw,- and their lower ends engaging the respective valve stops14 which, as above mentioned, are located outside of the periphery ofthe nozzle.

The thrust screw is then regulated to exert compressive forces throughboth of the diverging struts, thereby subjecting the triangularlyarranged organization-constituted of thestruts and .valveto strainswhich normally are distributed by the two struts to maintain the valveon its seat and in opposition to any fluid pressure obtaining within thesupply pipe.

When exposed to heat suflioient to fuse the solderof either one of thestruts, the strain acting thereon causes the members thereof to fallapart, as shown at the right hand side of Fig. 3, to release theadjacent side of the valve, whereupon the strain acting through theremaining strut by being applied at an angle to the axis of thesprinkler and against the part of the valve which, so to speak,

overhangs the nozzle, will cause the valve to be shifted laterally andtilted up for the escape of water from the supply pipe. Suchdisengagement of the valve is consequently accomplished by theunbalanced force applied throughone strut subsequent to the destructionof the other one and is not dependent upon the fluid pressure obtainingwithin the supply pipe, as is the case with other automatic sprinklervalves known to The advantages of my invention reside, principally, inthe use of devices which insure certainty and despatch in action. Theshape of the valve enables it to seat in any position which it assumesin locating itself to suit the relative lengths of struts. The stud 11is of importance, inasmuch as it enables the thrust screw to be rotatedwithout disturbing the two struts and also serves, after one strut hasbeen ejected, to prevent the other one from dropping out until it hasexercised a tilting action upon the valve.

While I have illustrated my invention as utilizing a pair of struts,each formed of separable members, it is apparent that one of the strutsmay, if desired, be made integral.

Furthermore, the coupling of the members of a strut by a small body orglobule of fusible material interposed between one of the members andthe extremity of the other one may be supplemented by having thecontacting surfaces soldered or sweated together.

The invention is of simple and inexpen sive construction and is ofsymmetrical and attractive appearance.

What I claim, is

1. In an automatic sprinkler, the combi= nation of a nozzle, a thrustscrew, a valve having a concave seating face for sa d nozzle, and strutsextending in angular relations between said screw and detachablyengaging the valve at a distance apart greater than the externaldiameter of the valve seat, one

.relations between said screw and detachably engaging the valve at adistance apart greater than the external diameter of the valve seat, oneof said struts being formed of two members separably connected by afusible element.

8. An automatic sprinkler having a frame including a nozzle and aninternally threaded boss, a thrust screw engaging in said boss, a valveof a substantially spherical segmental form for said nozzle, said valvebeing provided with spaced stops disposed at a distance apart greaterthan the externaldiameter of the valve seat, and a pair of fusiblevalve-retaining struts each of said struts comprising two members whichare respectively coupled by fusible elements, said struts being arrangedto respectively engage by their opposite ends said valve stops and thethrust screw.

4;. An automatic sprinkler having a frame including a nozzle and aninternally threaded boss, a thrust screw engaging in said boss, a studprojecting from said screw, a valve for said nozzle, said valve beingprovided with spaced stops disposed at a distance apart greater than theexternal diameter of the valve seat, and a pair of fusible valveretaininstruts, each of said struts comprising two members which arerespectively coupled by fusible elements, said struts being arranged torespectively engage by their opposite ends said valve stops and thethrust screw at opposite sides of said stud.

5. An automatic sprinkler having a frame including a nozzle and aninternally thread ed boss, a thrust screw engaging in said boss, a studprojecting from said screw, a valve of a substantially sphericalsegmental form for said nozzle, said valve being pro vided with spacedstops disposed at a distance apart greater than the external diameter ofthe valve seat, and a pair of fusible valve-retaining struts each ofsaid struts comprising two members which are respectively coupled byfusible elements, said struts being arranged to respectively engage bytheir opposite ends said valvestops and the thrust screw at oppositesides of said'stud.

6. A fusible valve-retaining strut for automatic sprinklers, consistingof an apertured member, a second member formed to provide a seat for theend of the first-named member, said second named member being providedwith an end adapted to extend through the aperture of the other member,and a body of fusible material interposed between the referred-tomember-end and the other member in proximity to the aperture thereof.

7 In combination with a valve for an automatic sprinkler, of a strutcomprising a member having an aperture intermediate its length, a secondmember having at one end a pointed extremity engageable with the valveand having adjacent thereto a shoulder to support the other member, theother extremity of the second-named strut being arranged to extendthrough said aperture,

and a fusible element interposed between the 10 last-named extremity andthe first-named member.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 23rd day of May 1917.

ALFRED E. BOARDMAN. Witnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, E. PETERSON.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, D. 0.

